I'm terrified of squats, i tried to do one yesterday, and with a janky chair-table setup, and it was not working out. when i finally semi-safely got the bar on my back, in a comfortable position, and just could not in any way get the squat on the way down without lifting my heels off of the ground. i looked at a lot of guides and maybe it's my body type or something, it just wouldn't work. especially not at my current strength and with the weight that i'd be using. so, at least for now, i'd like to find an exercise that is more approachable for a beginner and can bit similar muscles. do you have any recommendations, chapos? thanks in advance!
Have you practiced just doing unweighted squats? Or squats with a light bar? You could probably replace squats with a combination of deadlifts, leg press, hip thrusts, and weighted lunges.